HOME REMEDIES.

A watertight solution to a problem bathroom sink

Q. How do you get the "plunger" in the bathroom sink to stay put? I pull up the plunger to fill the sink, and it just keeps falling back down.

Betty Carter, Chicago

A. The "pop-up" in the sink closes to keep water in the sink. It is controlled by the lift rod that you pull up on at the top of the faucet, explained Bill Robinson, president of Complete Plumbing Inc. of Oak Lawn.

Underneath the lavatory bowl, the lift rod and the pop-up are connected by a horizontal pivot arm. The lift rod attaches to the back end of the pivot arm. The pop-up has a circle at the bottom that the front end of the pivot rod passes through inside the drain.

"The pivot arm has a ball on it [think of a cherry tomato near the end of a skewer] that is held in a socket on the back side of the drain by a pivot rod nut. This is the little rascal causing our problem. By tightening this nut, we will put more pressure on the ball and that will hold the pop-up in place," he said.

"If you run your hand up the back side of the drain beneath the bowl, you will feel this knurled pivot rod nut and it will have the small diameter [approximately 1/4-inch] pivot arm coming out of the center of it," Robinson said.

Wrap your forefinger and thumb around this nut and turn it counter-clockwise (as you look at it from the front of the lavatory). Hand tightening is usually adequate, but if the lift rod still falls down you can try a pair of pliers.

"If this does not work, the entire pop-up assembly may need to be replaced," he said.

Q. Our ejector pump is 10 years old. I would like to replace it and I'm wondering what pump to purchase.

A. White, Skokie

A. The average ejector pump lasts 5 to 8 years, said Ray Till, owner of Southwest Sewerage Co. of Burbank. It's time for replacement or repair if the pumping action slows down or there's a grinding sound coming from the pump, he said.

A good cast iron pump with a 2-inch opening and half-horsepower motor is standard for homes with overhead sewers. Prices will vary from $150 to $400, but "I would never recommend getting the cheapest," Till said. Instead, ask for a recommendation from a contractor or a plumbing supply company, he said.

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